House (Charli XCX song)
| "House" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Charli XCX featuring John Cale | ||||
| from the album Wuthering Heights | ||||
| Released | 10 November 2025 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:18 | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Songwriters |
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| Producers |
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| Charli XCX singles chronology | ||||
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| John Cale singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "House" on YouTube | ||||
"House" is a song by British singer Charli XCX, featuring Welsh musician John Cale. It was released on 10 November 2025 through Atlantic Records as the lead single from her soundtrack album, Wuthering Heights (2026). The song marks a significant departure from the electronic sound of her previous album Brat (2024), incorporating gothic rock and industrial rock elements.
Background and composition
Charli XCX began working on the soundtrack in December 2024 after director Emerald Fennell approached her to compose a song for her film adaptation of Emily Brontë's novel Wuthering Heights.[1] Inspired by Todd Haynes's 2021 documentary The Velvet Underground, Charli was particularly struck by John Cale's description of the Velvet Underground's sound as needing to be both "elegant and brutal".[2] "House" has been described as spoken word,[3][4] neoclassical darkwave,[3] gothic rock,[4] and industrial rock.[5]
After writing the initial version of "House" with producer Finn Keane while on tour in Austin, Charli reached out to Cale to collaborate.[2] Cale recorded a spoken word poem for the track, which Charli described as "something that only John could do... it made me cry."[1] Cale would later appear on the cover art for Charli's 2026 studio album Music, Fashion, Film, alongside Marc Jacobs and Martin Scorsese.[6]
The song is noted for its "noisy and distorted instrumentation",[5] drawing comparisons to Nine Inch Nails[5] and featuring lush, gothic orchestral arrangements alongside industrial rock elements.
Critical reception
"House" received acclaim from critics. Alexis Petridis of The Guardian called the song "powerful, striking and rewarding", noting it "bore almost no relation in sound or mood to the contents of Brat".[5] Paolo Ragusa of Consequence described it as "goth rock",[4] while several critics highlighted its "elegant and brutal" sonic palette.[2]
In popular culture
Following its release, "House" quickly became associated with a TikTok trend consisting of users sharing unsettling situations.[7] The trend, though having no widely agreed name, is commonly searched for as "I think I'm gonna die in this house trend" due to that part of the song playing in the videos.[8]
Music video
An accompanying music video, directed by Mitch Ryan, was released alongside the single.[1]
Personnel
Credits adapted from official release.[1]
- Charli XCX – vocals
- John Cale – featured vocals, spoken word
- Finn Keane – production
- Nathan Klein – production
Charts
| Chart (2026) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[9] | 30 |
Release history
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | 10 November 2025 | Atlantic | [1] |
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 Green, Walden (10 November 2025). "Charli XCX and John Cale Share New Song for Emerald Fennell's Wuthering Heights: Watch the Video". Pitchfork. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
- 1 2 3 Dalton, Charlotte (10 November 2025). "Watch Charli XCX Team Up With Velvet Underground's John Cale in Trippy 'House' Video". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
- 1 2 Cinquemani, Sal (10 November 2025). "Charli XCX Drops Ominous Wuthering Heights Track "House", Featuring John Cale". Slant. Retrieved 16 November 2025.
- 1 2 3 Ragusa, Paolo (10 November 2025). "Charli XCX Unveils New Song "House" with John Cale". Consequence. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 Petridis, Alexis (11 November 2025). "Charli XCX: House Ft John Cale Review – Haunt Me, Then! An Elegant, Brutal Taste of the Wuthering Heights OST". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
- ↑ Green, Walden (1 June 2026). "Charli XCX Announces New Album Music, Fashion, Film". Pitchfork. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
- ↑ Butler, Sinead (20 November 2025). "Charli XCX's 'House' inspires TikTok trend of users sharing their deepest fears". indy100. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
- ↑ Edwards, Belen (17 February 2026). "TikTok is using Charli XCX's 'House' better than "Wuthering Heights"". Mashable. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
- ↑ "Charli xcx". Billboard. Retrieved 25 February 2025.
